Planes are seen on the tarmac at Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport on Could 14, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
The Federal Aviation Administration mentioned on Friday it’s proposing to increase flight cuts at Newark, one of many three principal airports serving the New York Metropolis space, via October 2026 because it continues to face air traffic controller shortage and congestion points.
In Could, the FAA ordered flight cuts at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport via the tip of 2025 following a sequence of major disruptions on the United Airlines hub that snarled a whole lot of flights and sparked alarm in regards to the growing old U.S. air site visitors management system.
The FAA mentioned on Friday the objective of the decreased flight charges is to “proceed sustaining security whereas assuaging flight delays because of staffing and tools challenges, leading to smoother journey into and out of Newark.”
Final month, the Transportation Division Workplace of Inspector Common mentioned it will examine the FAA’s 2024 resolution to relocate some Newark air site visitors controllers to Philadelphia from New York to deal with staffing shortages and congested New York Metropolis-area airspace. The assessment got here after two severe communications outages for air site visitors controllers overseeing Newark’s airspace in April and Could.
The FAA required 17 air site visitors controllers to maneuver from New York Terminal Radar Method Management, generally known as N90, to Philadelphia in late July final 12 months. New York TRACON is among the busiest U.S. services. The FAA cited “persistent low staffing ranges and low coaching success price” at N90 as causes to maneuver management of the Newark airspace, aiming to spice up staffing ranges and ease congestion.
In July, the FAA prolonged cuts to minimal flight necessities at congested New York Metropolis airports via October 2026.
The FAA is about 3,500 air site visitors controllers in need of focused staffing ranges. A sequence of near-miss incidents has raised security issues in recent times, whereas the persistent staffing scarcity has delayed flights and compelled controllers at many services to work necessary extra time and six-day workweeks.
